The Funfair
by Mindless pessimist
Summary: Weechesters ficlet. With their Dad is out of town, Sam and Dean decide to check out the local funfair to cheer themselves up.


The sun was belting down but a cooler wind kept it from getting too hot. As always the warm summer's day attracted masses of people milling about the fun-fair including a young Sam and Dean. Their dad had just left town for a job and to cheer Sam up Dean had suggested they check this place out. So they walked the half hour to get there in the heat of day. Dean was kind of worried about the distance because if Sam got tired out it would be a long walk home for the nine year old.

Before they got to the fair they could already hear the music and the exited screams. The tops of the rides emerged from behind a building and Sam enthusiastically pointed them out to Dean.

"Look at the size of the roller coaster!" he practically squealed.

Dean felt sick at the mere thought of it. He isn't very good with fast or tall rides, he fears that they will break and send them flying before crashing gruesomely into something. He usually can keep Sam away from them because they're too small or don't have enough money, but sometimes Sam drags him onto one and he has to listen to his little brother laugh all day about how much he screamed.

They joined the crowd and entered the fair. The crowd was a good size for them; it wasn't too bustling so the two small kids would have to cling to each other so they don't get separated or crushed, but it wasn't just some wisp of a crowd either where Sam and Dean stood out without an adult. Most people don't think a thirteen year old and a nine year old should be left to their own accords.

Sam ran over to the candy stall first and just breathed in the smell of melted sugar. It was so strong he could practically taste it. He listened to the sound of the popcorn popping and took in the many colours of the lolly pops. Dean rolled his eyes at his little brother's sensory experience and tried to get them to move on. Sam was about to go with him when they started spinning candyfloss. The guy at the stall put the cone into the bowl, twisted it around and as if by magic it came out wrapped in pink fluff. Sam loved candyfloss; he loved the sugary taste, the bright pink, the way it melted on his tongue and the soft fluffiness of it. He even loved the stickiness of his hands and mouth afterwards. But he hardly ever got any; they didn't have much spare cash and Dean insisted that the candyfloss was a rip off and it wasn't worth it. Dean's burgers were just as bad but Sam didn't complain, much. It wasn't worth the fight.

Dean finally got his little brother to move on to a game stall. "Knock over all the cans with only three bullets and win a prize!" the sign read. Dean smirked to himself; this was gonna be a piece of cake. He turned to Sam.

"What d'you reckon Sammy, can you knock all of them down?"

Dean found out a while back that the best way to train Sam was to make it seem like a game. This was something their dad had failed to see and when he tried to train the stubborn child they would always end up having fights, so Dean took it upon himself to teach his little brother.

"What d'you want me to win for you Dean?" Sam said, taking up his brother's challenge. Dean looked along the rows of soft toys.

"I dunno. You're the girl, you could win yourself a Minnie mouse."

Sam gave his brother a face before something else caught his eye.

"How about the slinky?"

Dean's interest peaked at this.

"Sure, that would be cool." he said shrugging nonchalantly but Sam saw through him. They paid the stall holder the money and Sam picked up the pellet gun.

"Bet you can't do it in one!" Dean added. His little brother just smirked; he was going to show him. He lined up the shot and fired. It hit the bottom can at an angle that should've knocked the whole stack down, but it didn't.

"Told you!"

Sam made an annoyed noise and tried again. This time it wobbled slightly but didn't fall. Sam looked at his brother, something was up. He tried a different tactic for the last shot but again the cans didn't fall. His brother laughed at him.

"That was really bad Sammy!"

"It's rigged!" he insisted putting the gun down hard, "Those were three clean shots Dean! The cans should've fallen."

Dean just rolled his eyes,

"Here I'll show you how it's done."

Dean bought another turn still smirking at his brother. He was such a bad looser. He lined up a killer shot and fired, hitting the cans at a perfect angle. They wobbled ever so slightly but stayed upright. Surprised, he glanced over at Sam.

"Told you!" he said mocking his big brother.

"Hey," Dean called to the guy running the stall. He put on his dad's don't cross me face as the guy turned around, "This is rigged!"

"No it isn't kid," the guy said towering over them.

"Yes it is, look!" Dean emptied out the last two bullets at the centre can in quick succession. They didn't even wobble. Dean gave the man an indignant look.

"Give us our money back."

"Or what kid? What are you gonna do."

Sam grabbed Dean's arm as he took an aggressive step forward. The last thing they needed was to attract attention to themselves.

"We'll tell everyone it's rigged," Sam said forcefully, "See how much custom you get then."

The guy, obviously trumped, countered their ultimatum,

"Security!" he yelled and Sam had to drag his brother away from the stall.

"It's not worth it."

"That son of a bitch, I'll..."

"Let it go Dean."

Sam distracted his brother by pointing out the dodgems.

"They're probably rigged too." he muttered and Sam just rolled his eyes.

After a while Dean forgot about the rigged cans and enjoyed the day with Sammy. They had burgers for lunch with fries and blue slushies that they had no idea what flavour they were supposed to be. They also did some of the less tall rides and won a few of the games at different stalls. Sammy even had somehow got Dean to join the queue for the big roller coaster he had seen on the way in.

Dean's legs shook as they took baby steps forward each time people got on but he never let it on. Or at least Sam let him believe he didn't. Sam and Dean spend most of their life in close proximity and Sam has learnt to read his older brother like a book. He spent all of his childhood trying to act like him, trying to be him and now he knows what Dean does when he is happy or upset and right now he is more scared than he ever is about some big bad monster.

They got closer to the front and Dean felt like he was having a heart attack. His heart was beating furiously, he felt faint and his legs were made of jelly. Oh crap what if he dies before he even gets on the death-trap.

"You ok Dean?" his brother asked looking concerned at Dean who was very pale.

"Yes!" he replied defensively.

Sam smirked at him, "You know if you don't want to go on there is still time to leave."

A way out, Dean's brain yelled at him, take it and run fast! But if Dean chickened out now Sam would never let him live it down. He would still be hearing about it when he was thirty-five. It will be brought up during any small talk or to any girlfriend Sam meets. It would probably be mentioned at his funeral.

"My brother Dean was a great, brave man until it came to roller-coaster rides."

So Dean continued on the slow shuffle to his Death.

Finally they were at the front of the queue and it took all of Dean's concentration not to faint. He was dragged up the steps by an excited Sam who wanted to get the front seats. Please no, Dean practically prayed, please have mercy. Unfortunately Sam was the only one mad enough to want to sit there, so they got the seats without any competition. The harness came down over their heads and the bar came up. It's never a good sign when a ride uses that much to keep you in. Sam beside him was babbling with excitement, but Dean could hear none of it over the din of his heartbeat. So this is it, he thought as the ride started with a jerk, this is how I die.

The ride started slow, the first two dips were pretty pathetic. This is ok, Dean thought as someone behind him gave a playful scream at the tiny drop. But then it sped up. On the next dip Dean felt his stomach being left behind. The ride gained speed and started to spiral up to the top of the next dip before plummeting down. Sam put his hands up in the air as the ride went down another faster dip but Dean's stayed griped on the bar so tight his knuckles turned white. The cart turned in a corkscrew and for a moment they were dangling upside down. I will not scream, Dean thought to himself, I will not scream. He allowed himself a low "ahhh" as they rose and fell again. Then the ride started to slow. It created a false hope in Dean that it was over until he realized they were still rising. Once they were at the top of the highest peak that his brother had spotted as they came in, Dean had a spilt second to look over at Sammy. Any sane person's face would show as much fear as his own, but Sam grinned at him as they suddenly fell off the top and plummeted down at nearly ninety degrees. It went so fast that Dean lost track of what happened next, up, down, left, right, way too much of it was spent upside down. Nearly everyone screamed, even if it was more of an excited scream than due to a sane fear that they were going to die. Dean didn't scream, he didn't trust himself to open his mouth.

Sam was very impressed at his brother when the ride ended. Sure he was as pale as a sheet and Sam practically had to peal his hands off the bar to get him to get off the ride. But Sam thought he would scream or cry or something. If he knew the ride was that bad he would've never got his brother to come on with him. He practically danced around his brother –jabbering away – the adrenaline still pumping around his body as Dean walked silently towards the nearest bin. He threw up his blue slushy, burger and fries before collapsing onto the bench beside the bin.

"You ok Dean?" Sam asked looking concerned at his brother who had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply. Dean gave a small nod in reply.

When Dean had recovered he decided he was hungry again. He got them more burgers and fries but Sam noticed he missed out the slushy. It was a good thing too as it looked far too similar to Dean's sick. Dusk began to fall but the lights from the rides and stalls kept the dark at bay. Dean kept suggesting to Sam it was time to go home. The kid had had a long day and now was practically sleepwalking. When he had finally navigated his little brother to the gate Sam gave the candyfloss stall a final wistful look. He hadn't said anything about it but Dean could tell from his puppy eyes he had on. Dean shoved his hand into his pocket and rooted around for the money. The sign told him he needed $1.50 but he couldn't only find a dollar. One fifty was a rip-off, it's basically sugar. The stall probably ran on nearly full profit, though not as much as that stupid can stall. Dean dug his hands into his other pockets but he couldn't find that crucial fifty cent.

"What are you doing Dean?" Sam asked puzzled but Dean ignored him. Why does his brother like candyfloss anyway? Why can't it be something that was one dollar like the small lolly pops? One dollar for a tiny lolly? The others are only a dollar more but at least three times the size. This gave Dean an idea.

"Excuse me," he asked the lady now at the stall. Dean clutched Sam's hand and put on his best polite, poor child face. Between this and Sam's tired puppy eyes he hoped to stir up enough pity in her.

"I was wondering if I could get a half portion of candyfloss for a dollar."

Sam half glanced at his brother at the mention of candyfloss. What was he doing?

The woman gave them a kind, sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm don't own the stall and the guy who does is very adamant about prices."

Dean exaggerated his disappointment and gave a small, sad ok. He led Sam away but stopped within earshot.

"What are you doing Dean?" Sam whispered to his brother.

"Getting you candyfloss, play along."

He slightly glanced at the lady behind the stall. She was still giving them a sympathetic, slightly guilty look. Good, plan B was working.

Dean turned to face his brother and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Sammy," he sighed, his voice heavy with sadness.

"It's ok Dean, you tried your best."

"But my best isn't enough! I saved up all the change from the shopping and it still wasn't enough!" He turned away dramatically, "It's my fault, I shouldn't have spent our savings on that medicine."

Seriously Dean, Sam thought but he kept going along with it.

"Don't be ridiculous Dean you needed that medicine, you were very ill."

"I know, but I ruined your birthday being ill and now I don't have enough money to even buy your only present for it! Mom would be very disappointed in me." he cast his eyes skyward, before shaking his head in shame.

Sam decided his brother could never be an actor. Everything he did or said was over exaggerated and the things he was coming off with were so cliché that no one was gonna believe it.

Luckily for them the lady at the stall was either gullible, stupid or just really kind. Sam liked to believe it was the latter, while Dean thought it was his awesome acting. She let them have a whole portion of the candyfloss for that dollar. They thanked her - Dean a little too much - and began the walk back to the motel.

"Thanks for the candyfloss Dean." Sam insisted on repeatedly saying.

"Don't mention it." Dean had replied, seriously what was it with his brother and chick-flick moments.

They still had a long way to go when Sam had finished the candyfloss and the small kid was struggling. Dean had no idea how he was still going and it didn't take him by surprise when he finally cracked. The nine year old had tripped over his own feet and had landed with a thud on the ground. Even though nothing but his pride was hurt, he still sat and howled where he fell.

"Hey, hey Sammy, c'mon," Dean soothed knelling beside him, "you're ok and we're nearly there." Sam just continued to cry. Dean stood up and gave a sigh. He hoisted his little brother onto the wall nearby and offered him a piggy back. He could tell Sam was completely done because he just accepted it without a fuss.

"It's a good thing I'm strong," Dean complained jokily, "you're getting to heavy."

Sam just buried his head into his brother's shoulder

"Sorry" he murmured tiredly.

Dean just shrugged, "No problem; this is what big brothers are for."


End file.
